NaBloPoMo Daily Posts and SPFW Day One!

As a part of BlogHer's NaBloPoMo I will be posting daily! I hope you will join me for this wild ride of blogging daily, and start your own blog. We all have a unique voice to share with the world, and maybe even help to make it a better place. Not that my blog will, but I may make it a little more fashionable!

My favorite designer form the first shows of São Paulo Fashion Week 

was Animale. The light color palate with the addition of indigo in natural 

fabrics; cotton, wool, silk and velvet make it the perfect winter collection!

You can see all of the fashions on this link:

http://ffw.com.br/desfiles/sao-paulo/inverno-2015-rtw

 Or my favorites on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/carol98031/rtw-winter-2015/

Aqui a moda!

São Paulo Fashion Week starts tomorrow and Honolulu's First Fashion Week!

Well it seems I finally found another fashion week not sponsored by Mercedes-Benz: Brazil. They have two big names in fashion attending: Stella McCartney and Donatella Versace. Fashion retailer C & A has a new collection from Stella McCartney and Versace teamed up with the Brazilian label Riachuelo for a capsule collection. 

I have found that I can watch fashion weeks all year long and so can you if you want to.
Gayot has a good schedule; here is the link, http://www.gayot.com/lifestyle/fashion/fashionshows.html.

I enjoy seeing each designer's inspirations from around the world and how this affects their designs. Istanbul had a few interesting pieces but my favorites were from Tokyo. White and black still reign and my favorite piece was an all white ballerina inspired outfit from Hanae Mori. You can see all of the Tokyo lines here: http://tokyo-mbfashionweek.com/jp/brands/
or my favorites on my Pinterest,  http://www.pinterest.com/carol98031/rtw-spring-2015/

f you happen to live on Oahu, Honolulu is holding it's inaugural fashion week, November 6-9, it's free and open to the public (and ironically even though not called Mercedes-Benz fashion week they are one of the sponsors-sorry still ranting ;) )

Below is a dress I purchased from Ross for $13.99. It looks better on (most clothing looks best on a person or a hanger) and I purchased it because it reminded me of one of the dresses from the Emilio Pucci Spring 2015 RTW show, you can see it here, http://www.pinterest.com/carol98031/cheap-fashion-fix/ 

Can't wait to see what Honolulu has in store!

Au Revoir Paris, Hello Tokyo and LA!

The most popular fashion weeks are over, I had to postpone my blogging due to family health issues but I am back. Now Tokyo fashion week is in full swing, and is actually the longest fashion "week", about three and a half weeks.

The fashion week closest to my heart (and me) was Fashion Week LA. My exciting news, being invited to LA Fashion week, my disappointment, LA Fashion Week. I did get to experience being able to sit front row center like someone important, so I guess that was pretty cool. Actually there were a few good lines, but no real names. Rochelle Carino showed very wearable separates with bold prints. My favorite designer was Rose La Grua. Her collection was edgy. The fabrics were perfect for Los Angeles, and the garments bordered on art. A few of them had pockets that held flowers, and the finale look was a dress made out of suspended squares of fabric. 

Thought it would be fun to show of photo of all the photographers at the end of the runway!

When did LA lose its footing in the fashion world. It seemed in the 1980’s that LA was a pretty big deal. LA doesn’t even have the Mercedes-Benz sponsorship. Even Istanbul is called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, I didn't even know there was a fashion week in Istanbul and how did they get the Mercedes-Benz label? 

Tom Ford did announce that he was moving his Autumn/Winter runway show from London to Los Angeles for the next LA Fashion week in February 2015. I hope this is the start for other designers to follow his lead and resurrect Los Angeles as the fashion city is should be!

Viva La France!

Milan is finished. La touche de finition: Paris Fashion Week has begun and the first two days are already fashion history. Vogue and WWD post photos of the fashion shows pretty quickly and I have already pinned my favorites: 
http://www.pinterest.com/carol98031/rtw-spring-2015/

I have looked everywhere and there is very limited live feed for shows. The first one I have found is for Barbara Bui tomorrow 7:00 am Pacific StandardTime. Here is the link for anyone that has time that early in the morning, http://parisfashionweeklive.com/Paris-Fashion-Week/barbara-bui-live-stream-paris-fashion-week-spring-2015. 

The most entertaining, fun Milan show for me this time around was Moschino. From his current fall fast food and snacks inspired collection to this new Barbie collection, it really makes you smile. They even used the Barbie Girl song for the show. Makes me wonder if he is reliving his childhood. At least he's having fun. 

To pay homage to his collections, my daughter's old Barbie, dressed in the finest Cheetos bag with train.

Ce la vie, at least my cheap fashion fix can continue! 

New York Fashion Week Wrap up. Milan Starts today!

Well it is comforting to know that I am not the only person in the world that seems to run late. Every fashion show started late or maybe that is just the time they post so they make sure that everyone arrives by the time they really wanted them there.

A question I have been asking myself is why does every model's facial expression alway seem to run between "I am bored" to "I dare you to wear this!" The only shows I can remember the models having fun was Desigual and Betsey Johnson. Shouldn't it BE FUN? After all fashion takes us out of our everyday lives. Even the buyers, fashion critics and editors get to escape their everyday schedule to experience fashion week an event so many people look forward too.

London was a quick 5 days and you can watch Milan here: http://milanfashionweeklive.com/LIVE at least some of the models actually smile!

You can see some of my picks on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/pin/473863192016543763/
or Vogue has great photos of all the shows http://www.vogue.com/fashion/fashion-week/

The good news so far is that black, white and cream are always going to be in style.

New York Fashion Week Spring 2015

I found the greatest cheap fashion fix and this one is free (well, as long as you have a phone or computer with internet access). New York Fashion Week is streamed live on: newyorkfashionweeklive.com/LIVE or you can watch most of your favorite designer's runway shows rebroadcast on the same site.

I'm having fun watching the live shows and living vicariously. The shows (if the times are correct) never start on time. The hum from all of the people visiting before the show ceases immediately at the first sign of the show starting. I have a front row seat just like a celebrity or famous fashion blogger and I didn't have to suffer through a long flight to New York (in coach) or pay a huge price to stay in a hotel to do it. (Not to mention money spent on cab rides and time stuck in traffic.)

From what I have seen so far, some of the trends in three words: pale, lace and laser cut. The one show I watched that made me feel like I was on vacation was Desigual. The clothing was a riot of color and bold florals. The models wore smiles and floral headbands that girls going to Coachella would kill for.

I can't wait to see which pieces show up in the stores!

Just in Time for Fall Fashion!

Summer is officially over, Labor Day is here, and so I decided today would be the day I start my new fashion blog. It is an expansion of My Cheap Fashion Fix from my original blog: I Didn't Lose a Husband, I gained Closet Space!

It also happens to be the same day the article I wrote for DivorcedMoms.com covering the fall fashion trends posted. I hope you will check it out-   

http://divorcedmoms.com/articles/10-must-have-runway-fashion-trends-for-fall-2014

10 Must Have Runway Fashion Trends For Fall 2014

By Carol Johnson, Guest Author - September 01, 2014

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With this blog I hope to share (or at least try to) the idea that fashion doesn't have to be expensive to be great. Fashion should be fun, and used to express who we are at any given moment. There are a lot of great deals out there, and vintage is fabulous since fashion is never really new it is recycled over and over again. So I hope you join me on my new blogging trail!